Apple Updates AirPort Utility and AirPort Base Station and Time Capsule Firmware

Apple released an update for the AirPort Utility that incorporates the very simplified user interface that first appeared in the company’s iOS app for managing AirPort based stations. The new AirPort Utility 6.0 now has a graphical outline of the wireless base stations discovered and how they relate to each other, rather than just providing a basic listing. Furthermore, the latest version works exclusively with modern AirPort Express Extreme and Time Capsule units supporting 802.11n.

It's been indicated that firmware updates are available for two of the devices and clicking on a device opens an iCal-like panel that enables users to perform a firmware update r edit the device’s configuration. The simplified interface of the AirPort Utility seems to be missing the former version’s ability to detail and graph wireless clients’ signal strength, list client systems’ hardware MAC addresses and DNS assignments, and log details of base station activity. It should be noted that the new interface is now aligned with its iOS app counterpart (below) and the reduction of information presented makes the overall interface much easier to navigate and more straightforward as well. A variety of settings pertaining to the internet connection, DNS and NAT settings, and other complexities are also organized in a more convenient fashion, making it easier for non-technical users to set up and configure Apple’s base stations.

Along with the new utility, Apple also released the updated 7.6.1 firmware for the AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule that “fixes an issue with wireless performance and provides support for remote access to an AirPort disk or a Time Capsule hard drive with an iCloud account.

Apple also seemed to have released an update to AirPort Utility 5.6, which retains the appearance and all of the features of previous versions of the software. The 5.6 version required for configuring older 802.11g AirPort devices. It should be noted that it can’t be used to configure iCloud compatible “Back to My Mac” services for the newest AirPort devices, a task that requires the new software.

The company seems to have progressively advanced the state of the art in wireless networking steadily since its introduction of AirPort in 1999 and it’s expected to add support for the new 802.11c standard for Gigabit Wireless in its AirPort products later this year.

The 6.0 version of the utility is currently a hunk of junk in regards to editing advanced options like SMTP or IPv6 configuration. You'll have to do it with 5.6 (unless y'all figure out how to do it with 6.0... if you do, please let me know!).

This reeks like the Snow Leopard server management tools to Lion Server transition. All the good options were removed from the default client and must be downloaded as a separate, "old school" suite.

Could anyone of you please guide, tell me, or point me in the right direction in regards to setting up and external hard drive to my Airport Extreme. Long story short I have a PC ( saving for a Mac) and im trying to back up or transfer all my hard drive info on my PC to my external (WD MY PASSPORT ESSENTIAL SE) which is hooked up to the port on the Airport Extreme. I have the utility on my PC and I can see and configure the Airport Extreme settings for the external hard drive. That all being said I can't figure out how to find or associate it on my PC in order to use it as my primary PC hard drive for documents, videos, Itues library etc. Next I'd like to be able to acces that hard drive via Internet. Coul use some help. Thank.